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Darkness Falls
Darkness Falls is the quaint, old fashioned, and tourist trap historic district of Paradigm City. Founded in the year of Our Lord 1652, Darkness Falls is a city steeped in magic and mystery. No other city district has as much of a rich tradition in mysticism than does Darkness Falls and for this reason it is the city of choice for magic practicing heroes and criminals. Darkness Falls is the oldest of the city districts, established a hundred years before any other section of Paradigm City. Architecturally it is a city of Gothic Revival, with stone and masonry buildings offset with gargoyles, beautiful plazas, and vast cemeteries. The City Zones Darkness Falls has five distinct city zones, each of which has its own character and flavor. *'The Mesa '''stretches five miles from Darkness Falls Central College on the east to the Arroyo Beach on the west. The most popular tourist and living zone, The Mesa has a very strong beach vibe. The area has special beach access to The Mesa Beach ( Satan's Playground to the locals) and Thousand Steps Beach with its famous Arcade Boardwalk. The Mesa boasts a large Chinese population, and has an exceptionally beautiful China Town. The heroine Gossamer lives, works, and fights crime here. Popular tourist attractions in the Mesa include the Arcade Boardwalk which features many shoppes, fine dining restaurants, and a full fledged 1000 foot square arcade featuring coin games from the Eighties. The Mesa is also home to the Wainbridge Sealife Center which includes an indoor maritime museum and walk-through aquarium. *'The Riviera''' is a hillside, ocean facing zone so named for it's climatological resemblance to the French Riviera. The neighborhood has winding, steep streets and some of the oldest Gothic stonework found in the city, and contains mansions for the rich and famous. Several celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, and Kate Hudson are known to have homes in the area. Popular attractions here include bus tours of celebrity homes, the Darkness Falls Historical Museum, and the always popular and exciting Paradigm City Planetarium. *'San Rouqe' is considered by most to be the most haunted area of Darkness Falls. Ghost sightings, UFOs, and cryptid reports are extremely common and the area has been featured on such television series as Paranormal Witness, Ghost Hunters, and Fact or Fiction. San Roque has a very large Japanese population and a very traditional Little Japan area. The heroes Girl Wonder and Argent live and work in San Roque. Popular tourist attractions in San Roque include the 1100 acre Cherished Memories Cemetery, always a popular spot for ghost hunters and boasting a memorial to the city founder Philippe Lopez; the Karples Manuscript Library which is three stories of all manner of books and the oldest library in paradigm City; and Expose, a small theme park featuring roller coasters and other thrill rides. *'Samarqand '''was named for the Persian word meaning "Land of Hearts Desire" and, sadly, it is anything but. It boasts a large Middle-Eastern population. At one time Samarqand was the most crime-ridden area of Darkness Falls because of the presence of The Armageddon Society but since that organization's collapse Samarqand has seen an astonishing turn around and is once again becoming a beautiful and decent place to live. Samarqand has much to offer the tourist including the Islamic Center of History, the Samarqand Art Museum, and the Heartland Library. *'Fusion', which is a lovely area with beautiful parks and plazas, has recently seen an astonishing upswing in crime because of the sudden presence of the Circus of Sorrows. The Circus, under the control of Overlords Hobgoblin and Lady Abis, have caused such terror that civilians are leaving in droves. The authorities are terrified tyhat Fusion might end up being like the Row in Millennium City if the Circus isn't stopped. The hero Babylon calls Fusion his stomping ground and is waging a personal war against the Circus. The small sub-division of Stronghold Prison, dubbed Tranquility, is located in Fusion. Crime Darkness Falls suffers from the general rates of crime as in other cities except in Fusion, where violent crime rates are higher. In addition to normal criminal activity there are several criminal groups that have established themselves and risen to prominence within the superhuman community. *'The Arsenic Dolls''' are an all-female street gang found throughout Darkness Falls. All of the Dolls identify themselves by an exclusive look: A somewhat schoolgirl-style attire of white blouse, black surcoat and ruffled mini, striped thigh high stockings, and Goth or Emo affectations. The Dolls also have a signature modus operandi- -- the use of molitov cocktails. The Dolls are involved in a lot of petty crimes: hold-ups, muggings, smash and grab robberies, and vandalism. The gang got its name because it was formed by the villain Arsenic and her team of four metahuman women. Since the original Arsenic's arrest and incarceration in 2015 a new woman bearing the name of Arsenic has taken control of the gang. Nothing is known yet about this second Arsenic. *'The Mesa Devils' is the smallest crime gang in Darkness Falls, operating almost exclusively in The Mesa. The Devils are known to be extremely violent and are responsible for armed robberies, muggings, rapes, and murder. Withing the Mesa, the Devils reign supreme as far as crime in concerned and they don't take kindly to intruders into their territory. Though the top dog of the Devils is not known, there are three high profile Devils that have come to be known as leaders within the gang. Worse, they each have super powers. They are the mind bending Sugar Daddy, the monstrous fire-wielding Hellhound, and the studious but deadly Succubus. *'The Circus of Sorrows' is the newest criminal gang in the Falls. Lead by the enigmatic Parasol, the Circus is entirely comprised of individuals with superhuman powers, making them the most viable threat to peace and safety second to The Armageddon Society. Personalities The following individuals are famous within Darkness Falls and Paradigm City. *'Maron Namakaze', The Girl Wonder,is unarguably the most well-known hero of Darkness Falls and its public face. Cheerful, bubbly, and a bit of a media whore Maron has won the hearts of Darkness Falls and earned the title of the city darling. She has saved the city on numerous occasions, battled some of the fiercest super-villains, and has saved the Earth itself twice. *'Chester A. Wainbridge' is a multimillionaire humanitarian and captain of industry. Wainbridge is Darkness Falls favorite son and contributes millions annually to various charities. Several buildings and streets in Darkness Falls are named after him. He is an outspoken proponent for superheroes, and is very approachable by them for aid and advice. *'Steven Wainbridge' is the current Mayor of Darkness Falls and, unlike his father Chester, speaks venom about all things superhuman. He has tried several times to enact legislation to outlaw super-humans and their abilities in the city, and vows that when he attains the Governor's seat of California he will outlaw super-humans state wide. His vitriolic tirades have irked many superhuman criminals and he is often in danger but as yet has not thanked any hero whom pulled his bum from the fire. * Victoria Wainbridge is the daughter of Chester Wainbridge. Like her father this unobtrusive literature professor has made a name for herself through altruism. She gives heavily to various charitable organizations, funded the Darkness Falls Home for Orphaned Children, and the Wainbridge Society which lends aid to the disenfranchised of Darkness Falls. Victoria Wainbridge mysteriously disappered from her home in October of 2013, throwing the city into alarm. Despite numerous investigations by law enforcement and local superheroes no evidence to suggest the cause of her disappearance has surfaced. * The Rastafarian is a strange and enigmatic figure whom only appeared in Darkness Falls in early 2015. Working from a tiny one bedroom flat in The Mesa, the Rastafarian has been extremely helpful to local heroes by offering them tips about crimes that have not yet happened, or which criminal is behind which crime. The Rastafarian is a pure enigma; attempts at discovering his true identity or history have all proven futile. Some suggest that the Rastafarian is the oracle of Fugue, they hidden watcher of Darkness Falls. * Crusader '''is the city's Arch-Hero. The Crusader is actually the second hero to bear that name, female where the first Crusader was male. Like her illustrious fore bearer, Crusader uses an astonishing array of technological devices and vehicles to fight crime. Both Crusaders inspire such fear in the local criminal element that most groups operate in secrecy, hoping to avoid Crusader's notice. Because of this and the action of other local heroes the crime rates in Darkness Falls are slowly, but most assuredly, falling. * '''Fugue '''is the unknown watcher of Darkness Falls. Whom she is is anybody's guess. Much like the Broker in the Greene Way, Fugue keeps a constant vigilance over Darkness Falls and alerts heroes all over Paradigm City if an extremely dangerous event is to take place shortly by sending those heroes symbolic dreams. * '''Scourge, the same individual whom owns and operates the dance club Alcohol Salad in Millennium City also has a business here, a Goth lounge called Hearts of Darkness. As he does in Millennium City, Scourge can sometimes be persuaded to impart information about criminal activities and other happenings to heroes. The Terrortory The Terrortory is the local name given to the Darkness Falls Municipal Underground, a system of rail lines that connect the city to Raven's Grove and Millennium City proper. According to legend, the massive underground network is made up of maintenance tunnels, long-abandoned railway stations and even stranger things. It is said to be populated by fiends, demons, and monsters of all kinds: from titanic-sized rats to wandering undead, portals to other worlds, and clots of ult members that worship horrible gods. So far none of these reports have been verified, though it is a sad fact that every year teenagers and college students daring each other to brave the tunnels do so to never be heard from again. As with all legehds of such places, the Terrortory is said to be inhabited by four particularly nasty and malignant supernatural creatures that make the area their home: Smiling Jim, The Eater of Children. Graza, and Charman. Category:Districts Category:Paradigm City